Border crossing

ABSTRACT

A new Object Toss Game whereas a player tosses a round steel rod at a target, with the outside border of said target markers being the intended target. Said markers are three steel stakes at each end of the game course approx. forty feet apart, anchored in the ground approx. twenty inches apart, forming a triangle. 
     Included are four throwing rods, two per player or team. When said throwing rods are tossed and come to rest crossing one or two borders of said triangle, points are scored. Said throwing rods have markers that reward the player with one or two points depending on the accuracy of the throw. 
     You and your opponent may close borders with a Blockade on one of three target stakes. A Blockade closes both borders associated with said target stake leaving only one border open. When the open border is scored upon, the blockade is lifted.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of earlier filed Provisionalapplication No. 60/967,655

Filed on Sep. 5 2007

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

The invention resides in the field of games involving the tossing of anarticle toward an object or target in order to score points by havingthe tossed article engage one or more appendages or supports of thetarget object. The earliest and most basic concept of tossing an articletoward an object or target is the game of horseshoes, or a latermodification, quoits. This involves the throwing or tossing of a ring orhorseshoe to engage an upright stake anchored at a perpendicular angleto the surface of the ground. The object of the game is to encircle thestake with the horseshoe or ring, the ring being more difficult due tothe lack of an opening.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

The use of Object Toss Games known in the prior art are known to consistbasically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations,notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded priorart which have been developed for the fulfillment of countlessobjectives and requirements.

Known prior art object toss games include U.S. Pat. No. 753,561; U.S.Pat. No. 2,576,326; U.S. Pat. No. 2,590,444; U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,190;U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,956; U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,912.

While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives andrequirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new Rod TossBorder Crossing Game. The invention devise includes a target with aplurality of markers outlining a particular shape with the outsideperimeter or border of this shape whether visible or imaginary, becomingthe target. A plurality of throwing sticks or rods designed to come torest in the horizontal position touching or crossing said outsideperimeter or border.

In these respects, the Border Crossing Game according to the presentinvention substantially departs from the conventional concepts anddesigns of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatusprimarily developed for the purpose of offering a game of skill playableindoors and outdoors that requires a player to toss a stick or rod at atarget with the purpose of getting it to come to rest touching orcrossing its borders.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In view of the forgoing disadvantages inherent in the known types ofObject Toss Games now present in the prior art, the present inventionprovides a new Object Toss Game construction wherein the same can beutilized for offering a game of skill playable indoors and outdoors thatrequires a player to toss a steel rod at a target shape with theperimeter or outside border of the target shape being the intendedtarget.

The general purpose of the present invention, which will be describedsubsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new object toss gameapparatus and method which has many advantages of the Object Toss Gamesmentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new ObjectToss Game which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or evenimplied by any of the prior art Object Toss Games, either alone or inany combination thereof.

To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a target shapethat is defined by markers with the outside perimeter or border of saidmarkers becoming the intended target, and a plurality of throwing rodsthat are tossed by a player at the target shape with the intention oflanding or stopping the throwing rod in a horizontal position breakingor crossing the border of said target shape.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the invention in order that the detailed description thereofthat follows may be better understood, and in order that the presentcontribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additionalfeatures of the invention that will be described hereinafter and whichwill form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of theinvention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not tobe limited in its application to the details of construction and to thearrangements of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminologyemployed herein are for the purpose of description and should not beregarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially thescientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiarwith patent of legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from acursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure ofthe application. The abstract is neither intended to define theinvention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is itintended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention is designed to play in a backyard setting with apredetermined course layout of approx. fifty five feet in length andapprox. fifteen feet in width. The said course layout is designed toaccommodate a forty foot by six foot playing area with a satisfactorysafety zone included.

The present invention is to provides a plurality of unique game piecesdesigned to be different from any of the game pieces in any prior artObject Toss Games.

The present invention has a total of ten game pieces. Six game pieces tobe used as target markers, three at either end of the game course andfour game pieces to be used as throwing rods, two rods per player orteam.

The target consists of three steel stakes acting as markers placedvertically into the ground protruding approx. twelve to fourteen inchesout of the ground. The said steel markers are placed approx. twentyinches apart in the shape of a triangle with one long side of thetriangle facing the other end of the playing course. The outsideperimeter or border of said triangle being the intended target.

The throwing rods are approx. eighteen inches in length and approx. fiveeighths of an inch in diameter. The said throwing rods have markings onthem depicting areas of different scoring values.

The object of the Border Crossing game is to throw a steel rod at thetarget triangle while trying to touch or cross the outside border of thetriangle when the said throwing rod comes to-rest.

The target is shaped like a triangle so that all borders are visible oraccessible to the player and throwing rods and to make it possible tocross and score on more than one border at a time.

The borders of said triangle can be closed by you or your opponent atstrategic times during the game by placing a marker on one corner stakeeffectively closing both borders associated with said corner stake, thisis called a Blockade. A Blockade leaves only one open border that can bescored upon, once the remaining open border is scored upon, the Blockadeis lifted and all borders are open again.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a new Object Toss Gamethat is of a quality that can be played professionally.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new Object TossGame that can be played with two, three or four people.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new Object TossGame with a plurality of game options and scenarios to make every gameexperience different and exciting.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new Object TossGame that is easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new Object TossGame that is of durable and reliable construction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new Object TossGame with throwing objects that are user friendly, easy to throw andhave no sharp edges.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new Object TossGame with throwing objects that have areas of different scoring values,rewarding more points for a more accurate throw.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new Object TossGame that involves strategy and the use of the mind.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new Object TossGame that can be played inside or outside and is portable and storable.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new Object TossGame that can be modified in the future with game pieces that are madeof different materials such as wood, plastic, rubber and all metals.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new Object TossGame that can be modified in the future to include throwing objects thatare made of different shapes and materials such as bean bags, throwingdisks or rings, round balls and anything that can come to rest on aparticular line or border.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new Object TossGame that can be modified in the future with different target shapesthat have a line or border as the target, whether visible or imaginary,and the throwing object has to be touching or crossing said border toscore points.

Another object of the present invention is to include any Object TossGame designed to play inside or outside with lines or borders that aredrawn or painted on a surface with said lines or borders as being theintended target, and the throwing object has to be touching or crossingsaid border to score points.

Another object of the present invention is to include any Object TossGame that is made to play inside or outside with a target board thatgoes on the wall or any vertical surface with said target board havinglines or borders as the intended target, and the throwing object has tobe touching or crossing said border to score points.

Another object of the present invention is to include any future gameconcepts that have to do with war games or battles of witch the bordersare crossed or cities, states or countries are captured by crossingtheir borders.

Yet another object of the present invention is not to be limited to anyparticular course layout, limited to any target dimensions or shapes,and not to be limited to any game piece shapes or sizes.

Yet another object of the present invention is to include an Object TossGame that can be played with three players, with the game course set upin a triangle shape that has a target on each corner of the triangle.

Therefore the main object of the present invention is to include any andall Object Toss Games that have a line or border as the intended targetwhether visible or imaginary, and the throwing object has to be touchingor crossing said border to score points.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1. Is the court layout diagram of the Border Crossing game. Theofficial court size is approx. 52 feet A by 12 feet B. The targettriangles are approx. 40 feet C apart and the target boxes are approx. 6feet D by 8 feet E.

FIG. 2. Is the target box layout diagram of the Border Crossing game.The target box size should be at least 6 feet wide F by 8 feet long Gwith 2½ feet H behind the rear target marker I.

FIG. 3. Is the target diagram of the Border Crossing game. The targetmarkers are three steel stakes J anchored into the ground with approx.12 to 14 inches of stake J remaining above the ground. The three stakesJ act as markers whereas the outside perimeter or border K of saidmarkers are the intended target. The borders K of the target shape areimaginary and a Border Crossing can be seen if you look down the outsideof the two stakes J of the said border K. If there is any question abouta crossing, then a straight edge or string can be used to simulate theimaginary border K. Because there are three target markers (stakes) J,there are three borders K.

FIG. 4. Is the throwing rod diagram of the Border Crossing game. Thethrowing rods 1 a and 1 b are approx. 18 inches long and ⅝ of an inch indiameter. The throwing rods have rings L around them that mark areas ofdifferent point values M or N rewarding the player with more points fora more accurate throw. Rod 1 a has rings L at 4½ inches from either end,whereas the outside 4½ inches M equals 1 point and the inside 9 inches Nequals 2 points. Rod 1 b has a ring L at the very center of the rod anda ring L 4½ inches from one end of the rod. The open 9 inches N of therod equals 2 points and the other end with two 4½ inch sections M equals1 point.

FIG. 5. Is an example of how points are scored or added up with theBorder Crossing game. Throwing rod 1 a is crossing border 10 on the twopoint section of the rod, for a value of 2 points, throwing rod 1 a isalso crossing border 20 on the 1 point section of the rod, for a valueof 1 point. Throwing rod 1 b is also crossing border 20 on the 1 pointsection of the rod, for a value of 1 point. The total points scored are4 points.

FIG. 6. Is a diagram of the Blockade marker and how it closes the twoborders associated with it. A Blockade marker O, is placed on the rightfront marking stake of the target, effectively closing both borders 20and 30 that are associated with it. Border 10 is the only border leftopen and the only one that can be scored upon. Once border 10 is scoredupon, the Blockade is lifted and all borders 10, 20 and 30 are open andcan be scored upon. The Blockade marker is simply a plastic cap O, thatcovers the top one to two inches of the target marker (steel stake).

“Border Crossing” is a game similar to “Horseshoes”, only there areThree stakes (forming a triangle) at either end, instead of only onestake. You throw a Steel Rod, instead of a horseshoe.

The object of the game is to throw a steel rod at the target (threestakes forming a triangle) 40 feet away and get the rod to break theoutside border of the triangle when it comes to rest.

Throwing Rods:

Each player has two rods to throw. Each rod is similar but slightlydifferent in that they both have markings on them but not in the sameplaces. The rods are 18 inches long and 50% of the rod scores two pointsand the other 50% scores one point and are marked accordingly. One rod,the center 9 inches scores two points and the outside 4½ inches oneither end, scores one point. The other rod is marked so that one halfof the rod scores two points and the other half scores one point (seescoring instructions).

The Target:

The target has three stakes approx. 20 inches apart with one stake tothe rear and two stakes up front (forming a triangle).

Scoring Instructions:

The throwing rod must come to rest with a portion of the rod breakingthe outside border of the triangle in order to score points. This can beseen with the naked eye or you may use a straight edge about groundlevel in order to determine if it is a score or not.

The total score depends on what portion of the throwing rod is breakingthe outside border of the triangle. If one rod, the two point portion ofthe rod is breaking the border and the other rod, the one point portionof the rod is breaking the border, then the total points are three. Insome cases the throwing rod may break more than one border, points arescored on every border that is broken. If the two point portion orsection of one throwing rod is breaking two borders, the total for thatrod is four points.

If the two point section of the rod is breaking a border and the onepoint section of the rod is breaking another border, then the totalpoints for that rod is three points. Etc.

As in horseshoes, scores cancel each other out. If you score five pointsand your opponent scores four points then you receive a total of onepoint. Etc.

The official number of points needed to win is 21. This can vary ifdecided before the start of the game.

Marks on Throwing Rods:

The marks on the throwing rods indicate where the one point section ofthe rod begins and the two point section of the rod ends. If any portionof the mark or groove on the rod is touching the border of the triangle,then the score would be one point. Etc.

One set of rods has a single groove and the other set has a doublegroove, this is done in order to tell the two apart. If any portion ofthe grooves are touching the outside border of the triangle, then it isconsidered one point.

1. A Rod Toss Border Crossing Game with a course consisting of twotarget areas approx. forty feet apart, said target areas consisting ofthree or more markers that outline a particular target shape with theoutside perimeter or border of said shape being the objective target; aplurality of throwing rods designed to land horizontally touching orcrossing said perimeter or border of said target shape in order to scorepoints.
 2. The Rod Toss Border Crossing Game of claim 1, wherein saidoutside perimeter or border of said target shape being an imaginarystraight line extending from the outside of one marker to the nextmarker extending all the way around the absolute outside edge of saidtarget shape.
 3. The Rod Toss Border Crossing Game of claim 2, whereinsaid throwing rods have a round tubular shape approx. eighteen inches inlength with rounded ends as to eliminate sharp edges.
 4. The Rod TossBorder Crossing Game of claim 3, wherein said throwing rods havemarkings extending around said rods depicting areas of different scoringvalues.
 5. The Rod Toss Border Crossing Game of claim 4, wherein theobject of the game is to throw a steel rod at a target, whereas theoutside perimeter or border of the target shape is the intended target,whereas the steel rod must come to rest touching or crossing said borderin order to score points.
 6. The Rod Toss Border Crossing Game of claim5, wherein strategy can be added to the game with the ability to closeborders at strategic times of the game by placing a Blockade on onetarget marker, effectively closing both borders associated with saidmarker.